July 19, 2010

 

Vietnam finds 11 firms injecting substance into shrimp

 

Eleven seafood companies in Vietnam's Mekong Delta region were found injecting substances into raw shrimp in the past three months, local news reported Thursday (July 15).

 

Nguyen Nhu Tiep, deputy head of National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the companies mostly injected Agar agent, a harmless but unhygienic type of substance.

 

Tiep added that the substance makes the shrimp weightier but reduces its quality, noting that those companies should be strictly fined because their foolish action damages the domestic shrimp industry.

 

Among the companies, five are located in Soc Trang province, comprising of Bach Linh Seafood Im-Export Processing Co. Ltd; Trang Khanh Seafood Im-Export Processing Co. Ltd; Minh Hai Seafood JSC under SEAPRODEX Minh Hai; Minh Hieu Seafood Im-Export Processing Co. Ltd and Bac Lieu Seafood Im-Export Processing Plant under Minh Hai Seafood JSC.

 

Four others are in Ca Mau province: Tac Van Seafood Im-Export Processing JSC, Minh Chau Seafood Im-Export Processing Co. Ltd, Phu Tan Plant under CADOVIMEX Seafood JSC, Song Doc Plant under Ca Mau Seafood JSC; whereas the remaining firms in Soc Trang province, comprises of Phuong Nam Co. Ltd and Hoang Phuong Plant under Ut Xi Seafood Im-Export Processing JSC.

 

Minh Hai Seafood JSC is chaired by Tran Thien Hai, chairman of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP). They launched the "Say No to Substance-Injected Shrimp" programme with a view to improve Vietnamese shrimp prestige on the world market.